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Delicious Food and Quality Service!

Came here for a lovely dinner with my friend to catch up, the food was absolutely delicious, especially the steak and kidney pudding. The white chocolate fondant was to die for, had to fight my friend for just a mouthful! The staff were very attentive, friendly and efficient throughout our dinner and the food was served quickly. Overall I would recommend The Forest to anyone in the Solihull area who loves great food and atmosphere.More

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Stayed: September 2013, travelled with friends

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Ask Cookie P about Forest Hotel

Thank Cookie P

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Tracy P, Owner at Forest Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded 4 October 2013

Thank you very much for your very positive comments following your recent dinner here at The Forest. I am so pleased that you enjoyed your meal and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

This is local to us and we visit regularly. Friendly staff, good service. We tend to just come here for drinks. Lovely establishment. Only one negative, Cashew nuts are extortionate!!! Other prices are reasonable for this class place.

Stayed: September 2013, travelled with friends

Ask Jo B about Forest Hotel

Thank Jo B

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Tracy P, Owner at Forest Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded 4 October 2013

Many thanks for taking the time to write your review, I am very pleased to hear that you enjoy the atmosphere in our bar and look forward to serving you again soon.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

When travelling on business it is quite normal to have an early breakfast and leave for the day.

The Owner of the Forest wants you to go on your way without a Hot Breakfast !

How ridiculous is this ? There is no Hot Breakfast before 9am ! Yes, that's right not 6am or 7am or even 8am but 9am ............. unbelievable !

But let's get to the 'Nitty Gritty' ........

Having stayed at The Forest Hotel many times a number of years ago and been totally satisfied, I decided to book again for a colleague and myself as we were attending an exhibition at the NEC.

The hotel is ideally placed for this and the journey to and from the NEC takes very little time in a morning and evening.

The rooms are a reasonable size but could do with a little more ilumination.

The bathroom was very clean and warm thanks to the Heated Towel Rail as the heating in both the bathroom and bedroom was not on.

Shower really needs much more pressure.

We were told upon arrival on Sunday this week that the hotel does not serve food on Sunday Evenings, so we walked to the local Indian Restaurant and enjoyed an most tasty meal.

Monday Evening we ate at The Forest .............. the food was excellent and the evening made all the better for the very personable and helpful waitress, Sophie from Australia ..... what a gem !

Quite enjoyed the stay, but really no Hot Breakfast before spending a day at an exhibition ! Let's get real here please !

When paying the bill, the Duty Manager apologized for the lack of a proper breakfast and did mention that other complaints had been lodged previously and passed on to the owner, but the complaints fell on 'deaf ears'.

Such a shame ........... it spoiled our stay and we will probably not return.

Room Tip: Check if you will get a Hot Breakfast before the ungodly hour of 9am before booking and then if yes, then select a room.

Stayed: September 2013, travelled on business

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Ask rpjmLeeds about Forest Hotel

Thank rpjmLeeds

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Tracy P, Owner at Forest Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded 4 October 2013

Thank you for your comments follwing your recent stay with us. I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed your dinner and that the room was mostly suitable for your needs. I note your comments with regard to breakfast and the lack of "hot" food. This will have been noted at the time of booking so should not have come as a surprise but it is purely down to economies of scale. With only 12 bedrooms and inexpensive room rates we cannot justify the cost of a breakfast chef and therefore rely on our main kitchen team to provide cooked breakfast when they start at 9am. I appreciate that this may not be to everyones liking and we have tried to alleviate this issue by offering porridge and bacon baps from 7am which would have been available to you.

We are always looking to improve our offer,however,and will reassess this situation looking forward to see how we can make The Forest better.

Once again thank you for your comments

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

The hotel is well-located, clean with lovely rooms, comfy beds and a great bar area. However, I would say the shower could do with having a bit more pressure to it. What let it down was the restaurant with breakfast being a big disappointment. I dined here in the evening and must say the service was excellent but the food was lacking. I ordered the feta, lemon, tomato and black olive filo parcel which had no olives in it. The main ingredient was spinach which wasn't mentioned on the menu. The lemon overpowered it too. My dining companion's dish also wasn't as described on the menu. The tiramisu was a modern deconstructed style dessert with separate components of coffee flavoured jelly, a chocolate mousse quenelle and a bitter dark chocolate cup filled with sponge, chocolate pieces and cream. In theory it could be a good idea but in practice I would have preferred the traditional dessert as the coffee jelly was awful. Breakfast wasn't great. White toast was unavailable both mornings and there wasn't a vegetarian alternative for the cooked breakfast. At £15 it was not good value. I had to ask for everything. I asked for coffee twice, I had to ask for toast, there was no yoghurt out so I asked for that and it didn't arrive. The menu mentioned muffins but there weren't any. I ended up with soggy scrambled eggs and some toast. I paid £27 at the Ritz Paris for breakfast and I expected at least 50% of the standard but alas no.

Stayed: September 2013

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Ask Discerning-diner2014 about Forest Hotel

1 Thank Discerning-diner2014

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

We have used the Forest for many years as locals but have not eaten there as much as we could have. Recently we have eaten on several occasions with the weekly set menu and it has been amazing along with excellent, personal and friendly service. At around £14 for 2 courses it is exceptional value and sadly leaves you not needing a sweet as you are too full. We have also attended great functions at the Forest and I would certainly recommend it. Well done team

Stayed: August 2013

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Ask poplarjohn about Forest Hotel

Thank poplarjohn

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

In the south Solihull area there are many great Gastro pubs that we are spoilt for choice. It is obvious therefore that hotels like The Forest need to be on the top of their game to attract discerning diners. We have heard a number of negative reports locally about the standards of food and three of us decided to book for dinner to at least ascertain whether it would be a venue we would happily bring our partners or other friends to.

Quite frankly it was one of the poorest dining experiences we have had in this area for a very long time and I can say none of us will be coming back for seconds!! The quality ,quantity and value for money left a lot to be desired and unless the owners recognise that they will lose many potential customers.

The staff were pleasant enough but clearly the kitchen and those making the executive dining decisions are being swayed by the fare they are able to serve up to their probably non complaining core wedding business and failing to recognise what a disappointment the restaurant really is to everyday diners.

Room Tip: The ratings shown for sleep quality,rooms swimming pool and fitness centre are not applicable as it seems once you have touched the review menu there is no way of removing the one star "terrible" rating.!! Other reviewers will register their ratings as far as the Hotel side is concerned.

Stayed: August 2013, travelled with family

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Ask Martin A about Forest Hotel

1 Thank Martin A

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Tracy P, Owner at Forest Hotel, responded to this reviewResponded 28 August 2013

Thank you for taking the time to write a review following your recent dinner here. Unfortunately the generalistic nature of your comments make them hard for me to use constructively.The only point with which I can concur is that there are indeed a lot of gastro pubs south of Solihull which are generally more expensive and certainly less skillfully produced than by our own kitchen team that has been headed by the same chef for 8 years now.

To suggest that our restaurant menu is driven by our "core wedding business" I find difficult to comprehend.The restaurant has always been the raison d'etre of what The Forest stands for, not the other way round.

Kind regards

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC